grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-rē 

ˈgrō-sə-;

ˈgrōsh-rē 

plural groceries

1

groceries plural : the food and supplies sold by a grocer

—usually singular in British usage

2

: a grocer's store

Examples of grocery in a Sentence

She stopped to pick up some groceries for supper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Other examples include the Department of Justice's lawsuit against RealPage, which has been accused of helping landlords drive up rent prices, and the DOJ's lawsuit against Agri Stats, a data-sharing company accused of helping the meatpacking industry inflate grocery prices. — ABC News, 24 June 2026

After Safeway closed a small-format store on South Second Street in 2019, grocery options have been scarce for downtown San Jose residents. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 24 June 2026

This year, some of the extra festivities include the chance to win free groceries for a year (customers who spend $15 or more on a qualifying online grocery order on Amazon are entered automatically), with $1 million in total prizes across 100 winners. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 24 June 2026

Not only is there a cost to the American taxpayer on the federal level, there’s also a cost to Americans at the pump and grocery aisle. — Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grocerye, grosery "merchandise sold by wholesalers, the Grocers' Company of London," borrowed from Anglo-French grocerie, groserie, from groser "wholesale dealer in preserved foods, spices, wine, etc." + -ie -y entry 2 — more at grocer

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grocery

• do (one's) grocery shopping
• go grocery shopping
• grocery bag
• grocery cart
• grocery list
• grocery store

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Kids Definition

grocery

noun

gro·​cery ˈgrōs-(ə-)rē 

plural groceries

1

plural : food sold by a grocer

went out to buy the groceries

2

: a grocer's store